


Loud Colors

by Silverpup



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/F, F/M, Inspired by Art, Minor Character Death, Multi, Other, Post-Undertale Neutral Route, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-10-22 22:34:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10706529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverpup/pseuds/Silverpup
Summary: Suspicious of the rumor of Mount Ebbot, an aspiring artist (reader) hikes up and prepares a new piece for her website, unaware of the truths lying behind all of the scary stories. A certain tall skeleton is faced with returning her home after she falls and becomes trapped within the labyrinth that is the Underground. Hopefully, the monsters below will show her just as much mercy as their beloved Queen has commanded.Based after the Neutral run, assumed that Frisk has not returned to free the rest of the monsters from the Underground.





	1. Prologue - A Perfect Piece

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, all! This is my very first story posted here, and I really hope everyone enjoys it. I kind of have noticed that not only has Papyrus lacked large amounts of affection, but I've seen plenty of people write Genocide or Pacifist aftermath stories, but never any Neutral-based aftermath stories and it irked me a little. I have always wondered what would happen if Frisk never went back, and what the whole Underground would be like during the reign of Queen Toriel instead of King Asgore. Oh, one more thing! I have noticed that, when people write these reader fictions, they tend to use --- or Y/N as reader name placements. I don't like that very much personally, so I went ahead and gave the Reader a name! If you want to insert yourself into the story, all that need be done is to change it!  
> Please don't be a stranger, feel free to contact me on my Tumblr page: https://silverpuppy9.tumblr.com/  
> Oh, another thing. I'm not sure how often I'll update, but I do have the prologue and the first two chapters ready now. I'll space it out for now to see if I can get any more ideas flowing into my noggin for future chapters. And feel free to comment and tell me what you like or don't like! Criticism is always welcome so I can make my story that much better for you all!

 

Today was no different than any other Sunday you’d seen before. The air was delicious with the fresh scent of autumn rolling into your apartment to greet you. The leaves on the trees were beginning to turn various shades of brown, red, yellow, and orange. Children raced about bundled up in warm clothing, jumping in fallen leaf piles as parents worked hard to prepare their houses for potential avalanches and slush falls from the mountainside during the winter. You… well, you were preparing yourself to take another long hike up the mountain’s face, just as you had done the past few Sundays before.

You are a freelance artist with your own website used to promote and commission your artwork. It’s not a job that pays a lot, but it’s a job you really enjoy doing. On the side, you perform duties at the local science museum, working as a receptionist as well as a secretary for the owner of said establishment. Though it’s a lot of paperwork, and you suffer from many episodes of children and their antics as they pull their parent’s clothing and try to get them to enter the gift shop for early toys or wander off on their own only to approach you and ask you where their mothers or their fathers are, it manages to keep the lights on in your house and food on the table. You hope your business takes off one day so you can make a name for yourself and become recognized for your talents. In the meantime, this will have to do.

 

You reside within the lower district of your hometown, Hallowstone Hills, which rises just off the base of Mount Ebbot. Hallowstone Hills was a huge vacation spot for many tourists due to the legends of the mountain itself. It was said that a war between humans and monsters was fought at this very spot hundreds of years ago, and the humans had created a barrier at the peak of the mountain in order to seal the monsters within the mountain’s high rising walls. It was said that anyone wishing to climb up its face would certainly be lost to the world, as they would not be able to cross the ancestor’s magical barrier. This story, being as fantastic as it was, didn’t convince you of any of the superstitious hullaballoo and you would frequently make climbs up the mountain in order to take in the beautiful view of your town and sketch the various clouds and hills that lined the landscape.

Sundays tended to be your off days, as the science museum curator was terribly religious and would not have the place opened on a day of reverence. This was really the only day you had available to yourself. Your website only really got a few customers a month and maybe one or two requests a week for convention badges of some kind or another. You didn’t mind the lack of business much. It gave you the chance to do your own freelance work and post it later for biddings. These landscapes you painted would usually earn you the most money on your website, cashing in as much as one hundred to one fifty dollars a week. A little extra money in your pocket never hurt. The work usually paid for itself though as you constantly needed to refresh your supplies due to overuse. Wear and tear really does do a number on your brushes, after all.

You finished packing up your art supplies and a couple bottles of fresh water into your patched hiking bag. You had gotten the bag from a friend a few Christmases ago and were using it to the fullest extent. You plopped the bag down on the couch and disappeared into the kitchen once again to grab a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast. You finished your food in as little as three hungry bites and rushed to grab your bag, only to see your six pound Maine Coon curled up on the thing, her eyes closed as she snored lightly in a slight slumber.

“Prynne, shoo! Shoo!”

You waved your hands at the cat, which startled her from her sleep and made her jump away from your hands, landing flat on the floor of your apartment with a mewling purr. She wandered off into another part of your place, probably to find a better napping position inside of a window sill where she could sunbathe. You brushed the extra cat fur from your bag and shouldered it quickly, checking your pockets for your wallet, keys, and cell phone before heading out the door. Checking the lock was secure, you rushed down the spiraling staircase of your apartment building, passing by one of your neighbors with a hurried wave as he was filing through his mailbox for anything important before slamming it closed.

The autumn air bit at your nose as you shuffled to your car. Its sleek black color still caught you by surprise, even if it was on a cheap little Hyundai Sonata from about eight years ago. This was one of the few things you owned that you had actually saved up for, bought, and maintained on your own, and you were proud of it. You peered into the windows of the car, sighing in relief at the sight of the orange and gray jacket you left in the back seat last week. Beyond the jacket, various sketchbooks, pencils, pens, and other things covered the back seat of your car. You frowned a bit at the mess and made a mental note of cleaning the thing the next chance you got. The driver’s side door opened easily as you slid into the seat and shoved the key into the ignition. No doubt the engine was chilled as it took a bit for you to start it. Finally, the engine sputtered to life and you were on your way towards your destination. You quickly clicked on the radio, listening to a few radio talk show hosts throw back and forth jokes as they shared current events. There was something about a child going missing on Ebbot some time back, but you were pretty sure they found her and returned her to her parents. Now, it was just a rambling about the big football season that was about to start and who they had picked for their fantasy leagues.

“Nah, nah, he did terribly this pre-season. Bad choice for the team,” you murmured to yourself, stopping quickly at a stop light and glancing quickly to the left. Out of your driver’s side window, you could see a few younger adults throwing back bottles of beer in the back of a pickup truck. Probably rednecks, you thought to yourself. They looked like they were about to head out for a hunting excursion, as they were dressed the part complete with camo suits and heavyset hunting rifles. Two of them turned towards your car window and began hollering at you, shouting and screaming profanities and at one point asking you to “show them titties.” You gave them a dirty look and contemplated flipping them your favorite finger just as the light had turned green. They raced off down a side path towards the woods, thankfully away from your final destination. You hated dealing with such rude people, and loathed the day these folks would have children of their own and teach them the very same bad habits. You hoped these guys grew up before that happened.

There was a parking lot near the very base of the mountain that led towards a long, winding trail up and into the mountainside. You quickly pulled in and shifted your car into park before opening the door and snatching up your jacket from the back. Huddled up and warm, you grabbed your backpack and double checked your supplies.

“Aw, damn. Forgot the granola. Ah, well, hopefully I don’t get too hungry on the way back down.”

You zipped up the bag once again and shouldered it, thumbing at the straps as you kicked rocks free of your hiking boots and headed off towards the path. This mountain was almost like a second home to you. It sheltered you from the biting cold and the blistering heat as you worked, provided enough shade in the early morning so you could see clearly, and even kept most people away with scary stories of disappearance. The fog was never too bad and the fresh dew on the mountain’s trees gave off a nice glistening glow which made you feel at peace. You couldn’t have asked for more.

Your orange jacket served better against the cold than the tacky looking red and blue striped sweater you wore underneath. As thoughtful a gift as it was, your friend sure didn’t have a thing for matching clothes. Luckily, everything goes well with a pair of jeans. The wind nipped gently at you as you reached your favorite drawing spot about two thirds of the way up the mountain. You had set up a little base here, covered the spot with foliage in case anyone decided to pass by it in order to hide it from others. Up here was stashed a fold-up camping chair, a spare canvas and a makeshift easel just in case you felt like standing up instead of sitting. You had also hidden some books and pencils inside of a box you hid just behind your tiny little comfort spot. You set up quickly, propping the chair close to the wall of the mountain as you pulled a sketchbook from your backpack and readied a pencil in your hand. A bottle of water was rested inside of the cup holder on the chair and you crossed your legs on the seat. The view out in front of you took your breath away, just as it did every week. The clouds swirled in colorful pinks and blues as the sun began to rise over the horizon, awakening the town that rested just below. The sun radiated low reds and oranges and the sky lit up a bright morning blue as eagles darted between the mountain and the forests below. You took a second to admire the scenery, leaning back in your chair comfortably and sighing. How peaceful. You shuffled the sketchbook in your hands up to your chest and began to sketch out the land below. Start with simple shapes, you told yourself. Rectangles for the buildings, a circle for the sun… the paint could be added later.

You heard a crack.

Your head lifted from your work as a few pebbles crumbled down to the foot of your leaned chair. Shrugging it off, you continued with your sketching. Focus, you told yourself. This image only lasts for so long.

Another crack resounded in your ears.

Okay, there was no way this was a coincidence. You lift your head once again from your work and eye the space behind you. Tiny jagged cracks had appeared in the wall behind your chair.

“No way,” you mutter to yourself. “Ebbot, you’re sturdier than that! Hold up for a few more minutes! Please!”

The wall seemed to obey as no more noise was made. You took a few minutes more before sighing and going back to your book, begging for the mountain to hold up until you were done. A few more pencil strokes on the paper, and you held up the book for you to see against the morning rays.

“Ahh, perfect.” You smiled at your work, trying to figure out how much this one would sell for today. Maybe one fifteen. One twenty at most. You snapped the book shut and applied a bit more weight to the back of your chair. “Alrighty, I’m done for-gahhh!!!!”

As if on cue, the wall behind you begins to fall away. Your chair leans back uncomfortably and you panic as you scramble to try and lift yourself from your fall. Too late, as the chair thumps hard on the trail and dumps you headfirst into a massive gaping hole in the side of the mountain. Your book falls out of your hands and tumbles down the hole that threatened to swallow you as well. You struggle to grab anything to break your fall and manage to grab hold of a loose boulder, only to have it slip right from the rock wall and send you tumbling into a dark abyss. For a second, you could swear a bright white light washed over you at one point in your descent, but you didn’t have much time to think.

You were falling.

Falling faster than you had anticipated.

The darkness swallowed your eyesight whole as you felt your body land hard against something… unusually soft. The blow was enough to knock you clean unconscious though. Your head jolted forward upon impact and a loud “oomph” sounded as the wind was knocked right out of you. The last thing you remember was sunlight… and the color of golden petals…


	2. Got a Light?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Reader sees the Underground for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so the :technical: first chapter of my story! I'm working on chapter 3 right now, and so far it's going.... eh. Life's been keeping me from writing. I'm hoping it'll be done before I have to post the next chapter up. As always, feel free to contact me via my tumblr: https://silverpuppy9.tumblr.com/. Feel free to leave a comment/criticism. Always appreciated!

“Augh….”

            You finally managed to arise from your unconscious state. Everything on your body ached. You struggled unsuccessfully to massage your tense wrists. It seemed like every part of you was crying out in aching pain. You struggle to move your neck around to explore the room you were in. It was very dark with the only pieces of light you could see shining down from the hole you’d fallen through. You begin cursing silently to yourself as you wondered how in the world you’d get out of here. Something square caught your eye and you noticed the sketchbook you had been holding and drawing in this morning. Thank goodness it hadn’t been damaged from the fall. You crawl your way over to it and flip open the pages, seeing your recently done sketch. There was a crumpled edge present on the picture and you groan.

            “Well, there goes the pay for this one,” you sigh, flipping the book closed. “What am I saying, how am I gonna get paid if I’m not even there to post the piece!? And Prynne…. Oh no, someone’s gotta feed Prynne tonight!”

            You quickly pull your cell phone from your pocket and flip open the screen. No signal. Of course there’s no signal. Why would there be satellite communication in this damned mountain? You shove the phone back into the pocket of your jeans and huff, pacing back and forth over the bed of flowers that were crushed under your boots. Wait… flowers? You lifted your boot to find yellow petals sticking to the bottom of the treads. Why were there flowers growing inside of a mountain? How they managed to thrive was beyond you. There wasn’t any possible way they’d be able to receive rainwater unless... but no, there’s no way anybody LIVED here!

            You picked one of the flowers that hadn’t been crushed by your shoes and twirled its stem around your fingers in a carefree manner. It looked healthy enough, and it didn’t look like anything special. It was just a yellow flower living underground… strange. You slipped the flower behind your right ear and let your light brown hair shade the stem from view. By now, your eyes had adjusted to the light in here and you noticed a long stretch of hallway leading away from the room.

            “Well…” You shrug halfheartedly and start down the dark hallway. “Nowhere else to go but forward.”

            The hallway proved too dark for you to see through and you had to pull out your phone to continue having any kind of sight. Luckily, there was a flashlight app on your phone that you could use to see. You flicked the light on and shone it in front of you. The walls surrounding you were damp and made of a strange purple stone. You’d never seen anything like it. Of course, you’d never experienced being inside of a mountain either. You continued on a bit farther, noticing a large doorway with two pillars standing erect on either side. There was some kind of symbol above it, though you’d never seen anything similar. Well… maybe. It looked a bit like Navi from that Legend of Zelda video game had plastered itself above a few triangles. You snorted with laughter a bit.

            “If someone lives down here, they must be huge gaming nerds for this kind of symbol!”

            You seem almost relieved at this notion as you wander through the door and almost immediately crash into a sign. “Whoa!” You stumble to the side and raise your flashlight to the wooden sign in front of you, murmuring the words written on the boards.

            “Welcome humans! We hope you enjoy your…stay? What? What kind of bullshit is this?”

            You roll your flashlight over the words once again, hugging your sketchbook to your chest. Yep, that’s exactly what it said. Someone had carved out a welcome sign for humans that fell down here. That was both unnerving and unbelievable. Someone actually wrote this and stuck it down here. How? You shine your flashlight around and notice another doorway, this time without the pillars and the symbol. This place was beginning to give you the creeps. Someone CARVED those doors. Someone MADE that sign. That meant someone LIVED here… maybe even the monsters from those stories…

            “Aww, come off it,” you say. “It’s just gotta be an old mine shaft or something in the mountain. No big deal. Plus, those stories talk about all kinds of ridiculous stuff. There’s no way all of it is real.”

            You lift your flashlight towards the second door and wander through it carefully, observing the scenery as closely as your light deprived eyes can. More purple stone. More dark hallway in front of you. Nothing special you could see. It was at this point in time you notice your flashlight shut off. What the hell? Your phone was bugging out again, as it usually did when you needed it the most. You fumble with it in agitation, trying to turn the thing back on again. The loading screen flashes in front of your eyes and you breathe a gentle sigh of relief. Once again your flashlight was on. You continue down the hallway hearing drips of water trickle to the ground as you press onward down the hall. You finally see something change as you near a third room, which held inside a marbled staircase leading up to another doorway. Red leaves litter the ground, almost as if they had freshly fallen off one of the trees from your town.

            “What the fuck,” you mutter to yourself, picking up a leaf and thumbing it carefully. It was a leaf alright, and it definitely looked like a local maple leaf. You give it a quick press and watch the dead leaf crumble in your hands and fall to the floor in pieces. Your boots crush a few more on your way through the room and up the stairs; the crunch slightly relieving you of the eerie silence that surrounded you ever since you left the room full of flowers. You shine your flashlight through the other doorway and observe the other side, noticing a closed door with a panel right next to it in the room beyond. Six gray tiles lay in some kind of order on the floor in front of the panel, though you were sure four of them made a square shape.

            “Is this…. Is that a puzzle?”

            You entered the room quizzically, confused by the formation of the puzzle before your feet. More proof that someone resided here. And was a room puzzle maker of all things. You nudged a panel with the toe of your boot. Solid as brick. Seemed like if you were going to continue you’d need to solve this puzzle. Child’s play. You wandered to the panels that formed a square shape and depressed each corner, making sure to avoid the other panels before flipping the switch on the wall. Bam. The door slid open with a satisfying rumble and you flicked your phone up and around the room before entering. It was another hallway, with a path lining the room that curved up and down continuing on down the hallway. You couldn’t see much else beyond midway through the room. Maybe there was another switch on the wall just on the edge of your vision? You could barely tell at this point. There was a piece of gray stone on the wall across from you and it looked like something was carved on it. Didn’t hurt to try and read it.

            Once again, your phone flashed its loading screen in your face and shut itself off. God damn it, phone! You bashed the side of it, fumbling it around in your fingers as you looked for the power button. Before you could flick the thing into some kind of life, you heard a shuffle flit past your ears. You stopped moving immediately, heart thumping in your ears as you struggled to see beyond the darkness in front of you. What the fuck was that? You fidgeted with your phone a bit more before your screen finally shone with light again. Come on, come on and work… yes! Light! You flipped the flashlight around the room in a panic. Nothing seemed out of place. Relieved, you chuckled and shone the flashlight towards the stone sign on the wall. “I must be losing my marbles,” you laughed as the light hovered over the message on the rock.

            “Please flip the marked switches, human,” you read aloud to yourself. “Ahh, so that thing over there must have been a switch. Let’s go see if it’s marked for flipping.”

            Sure enough, when you approached the switch there were yellow arrows pointing towards the switch and a smeared message that said, “This is the first switch.” You flipped it with a smile, wondering who could have designed this horrible puzzle if they were just going to solve it for you. Wasn’t the point of a puzzle to be challenging? Plus, the path you were on right now was a little lighter than the rest of the floor around you and led right to this switch. This puzzle couldn’t have been easier. A little further down the hallway, you noticed two switches nestled into the wall. More yellow arrows pointed to the first switch.

            “Oh, boy. I wonder which switch I should flip,” you asked aloud, giggling as you flipped the one marked. A loud clang was heard further down the hallway and you strolled easily through the now opened pathway. Grooves in the floor suggested there were spikes in front of the next entrance that blocked your path before you flipped the switches.

            Your phone flickered once again and you pointed a finger down at the screen. “Listen here, you son of a fuck! You better not do this to me! I need your light and if you shut off on me one more time, I swear I will turn you into a glorified paperweight!” The phone stopped flickering and resumed its flashlight function obediently. You face shone with glee and you petted the top of your phone. “Good boy,” you cooed to the tiny machine. You wandered through the doorway and onto the next room, following the path in front of you as you flicked the flashlight from side to side. The only thing unusual about this room, besides the fact that it curved upwards and towards another door, was that there was some kind of training dummy at the end near the next doorway. A sign hung off the dummy’s neck and dangled limply in front of it. You approached the dummy to read what the sign had to say.

            “Please don’t hurt me. I’m not for fighting,” it said in a hard to read scrawl. This sign wasn’t as clean and clear as the other two were before it. It was almost as if someone struggled to write this out. You noticed the stand the dummy was on was a bit disheveled, as if someone had knocked it over before. Maybe that’s why the sign was there. You patted the mannequin’s head with a smile. “Aw, don’t worry little guy. I’m not gonna hurt ya.”

            You weren’t sure if it was a trick of the light or if you were seeing things, but you could swear the dummy just… smiled. That’s impossible. The thing was an inanimate object. Wait, what the hell was it doing down here in the first place? Mine shaft or not, there was no way a guy on the job would ever bring a training dummy down to his workplace. So what… no, you thought. No, this just may be a bad coincidence. Maybe someone just dumped it down here. Yeah, that’s it. And it sure as hell didn’t smile. Dummies don’t fucking do that.

            It was getting a bit colder down here. You could feel the air around you press in as you continued down the path, hoping this would lead to some kind of exit. You hugged your jacket as close to you as you could while listening to your stomach start to rumble. Focus, you thought to yourself. The faster you can get out of here, the faster you can go get something to eat. You’ll be home in no time. Promise.

            The next room had a winding path that led up and down a long hallway, ending just short of midway down the hall. You studied the floor, making note of the path before continuing forward. There was a pillar hugging the wall on your left covered in thick green vine that wrapped and curled its way around the pillar. You felt the leaves on the vine and noted how thick and succulent the plant seemed. It was getting enough water down here… but how was it thriving without sunlight? Your phone flickered once again, this time ignoring your threats and profanity as it shut itself off for a third time. “Stupid fucking thing,” you cried, smashing the side of your phone against your hand. You stopped hitting it and pressed down the power button. Nothing. You tried it again. Once again, nothing. As you were going to rip off the back casing of the phone, you heard another shuffle come from behind you. What was that? You daftly turned on your heel, struggling to see in the dark room. You heard more footsteps. Where were they coming from? They sounded heavy from what you could tell… and they sounded close. You panicked, holding the device over your head like a weapon. A sudden chill fell over you as you darted your eyes from left to right. Were you going to die here? Alone? Without anybody to hear your cries for help? You felt tears dance at the edge of your eyes as you heard the footsteps grow ever closer to you. Were those boots? Was that another person? You couldn’t see any lights, and you knew they couldn’t see without some kind of light about their person. If this was another human, they’d have another light on them. If not…

            “Who’s there,” you shouted weakly, trying so hard to strain your eyes through the darkness. “Show yourself you coward!”

            The footsteps stopped just short of where you were. God, no… if that was a monster… Did the monsters from the stories eat people? You knew they killed people, and that was about as bad, but you weren’t about to be a meal for a ravenous beast. You held your hand out in front of you, feeling nothing but air. The boots stopped just short of your hand. You flipped your arm to one side then the next in a frantic search for skin, an arm, a hand, anything to reassure you that you weren’t about to become monster food. You began to hyperventilate and you gripped the cell phone tight in your hands as you readied it, prepared to fling it across the dark hallway. A voice rang in your ears before you could bring your arm forward to toss your device.

            “Um… you aren’t planning on hitting me with that phone are you, human?”

            You gasped in relief. A voice! Not a growl, not a squish, not a roar, but a voice came to help you! A glove touched your hand and lowered your arm to your side. Thank goodness you hadn’t chucked your phone. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were there! I thought something was gonna eat me!”

            “Ah, no, no! I do not eat humans. In fact, I, the GREAT Papyrus, prefer to help them!”           

            “Papyrus? Nice name. My name’s Riley.”

            You took the phone in your hand and pushed down on the power button one more time, feeling a bit more relieved someone was there with you. Finally, some power! You managed to get enough light into the room to take a look at your hero.

            As your phone dimly lit the vicinity, you saw standing before you a six and a half foot tall, very happy skeleton dressed with a red scarf, a white piece of plate armor, red gloves and red boots to match his cape. His eye sockets were turned right to you in expectation and glee. You felt your phone drop from your hands as a weak squeak escaped your throat, and you felt your knees give out on you as you fainted right in front of your “rescuer.” You phone crashed to the ground, breaking as the light went out, making the room dark once more. You felt someone quickly grab you before you slammed face first into the ground just as your phone did, but the rest of your memory grew foggy as you receded into your own head.


	3. Curiosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the great Papyrus finds a human and brings them home. Also there's a punny brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooooooo gosh, I am so happy with all the reviews I've been receiving for this! As promised, this chapter is written in third-person. I'll have some of these chapters on occasion, hoping it'll break away from the stereotypical fanfiction mold and make for a very unique reading experience. As always, you are more than welcome to leave comments good or bad, and if you'd be interested in following me, I'm on Tumblr! https://silverpuppy9.tumblr.com/

“Sans, where are you? I need you to pick up your sock… for the fourteenth time!!!”

            Papyrus stomped about his home, searching for his shorter, filthier, older brother. He had already checked under the large kitchen sink and his brother’s train wreck of a room, even checked within the oven to see if his brother would be hiding there. He was going to be late for his human welcoming position given to him exclusively by the Queen, and he could not handle being late even one second. The referred sock was resting against a wall, coated in sticky notes from Papyrus to Sans and back again. He’d had it with Sans leaving his messes all over the place and struggled to get him to pick it up. Nevertheless, he grabbed his Post-it notes once more, flicked off the cap of a pen and wrote another note to his brother, which he stuck to the sock before heading out the door. He was not going to struggle with this any longer.

            Ever since the appearance of the short human, Frisk, things had been very different in the Underground. The Royal Guard had been disbanded after the death of King Asgore. Queen Toriel took the throne and commanded all monsters to welcome the humans that wandered into the Underground. Undyne had lost her job as Captain of the Guard and now worked at Sans’ illegal hot dog stand, yet she tried her best to stay physically fit. The six human souls Asgore had managed to capture during his rule had disappeared, and the barrier was still erected, keeping all monsters trapped underground. Since then, six more humans had managed to tumble down into the Ruins and were welcomed like old friends to this realm. All six had made the very important decision to donate their powerful souls out of the kindness of their hearts, and all six souls rested peacefully within New Home, Queen Toriel’s castle within the Core. Papyrus was elected as Royal Human Welcomer by order of the queen, and he took his job with much pride. He might not have been a royal guard like he wanted, but he still had a very important job! It was his duty to check the Ruins for any new humans that might have stumbled down here, and it was his duty to make them feel welcome in this strange new land. By golly, he’d do his job with a grin.

            He managed to cross the frozen lands just before the gateway to the Ruins. The doors had been shut for the night, and he was in charge of opening them for any human who might have stumbled in. It was rare, but perhaps humans had been curled up against the door waiting for a way out of the ruins? He closed his eye sockets calmly, focusing hard as he placed one gloved hand upon the doorway. An orange flame flickered in his right eye socket as his hand glowed with power, his magic flaring the door to life. The door responded to the surge of magical energy and slid open easily under his touch. He grinned excitedly and entered the Ruins, searching about for humans at the doorway. No humans. He lowered his shoulders a bit, disappointed slightly, but he perked up again instantly. They might be deeper in, he thought to himself. He marched happily into the ruins, quickly disarming the traps that stood in his way with his orange magic. They would be rearmed after he left. After all, what fun was it without a good puzzle to keep you busy?

            Papyrus managed to sail through the hallway spike trap, his vision accustomed to the darkness of the ruins. Monsters had the ability to see in the dark some feet in front of them, unlike humans. That was why a monster had to be down here to help the fallen humans find their way out. He was about to round the bend towards the ghost’s training dummy room when he heard a string of threats and rude words being shouted at something. Ahead of him, he spotted a human struggling with something in their hands. Perhaps he would approach quietly, so as not to bother the human? It seemed like a very violent human, too. It frightened him very much.

            He took a few steps forward and watched the human. Perhaps his boots were too loud, as the human stopped yelling at the thing in their hands and began to search around the room in confusion. They must have heard him he reasoned, and he stood at his full height and proceeded towards the human with much caution. From this distance, he could tell the thing in the human’s hand was a cell phone. Wow! Perhaps the human was offering him to input his phone number! Already, you were becoming friendly towards him. Such was the case with the Great Papyrus, always successful at negotiations.

            A panicked shout of “who’s there, come out you coward,” resounded from the human’s throat and indeed startled the poor skeleton. He watched you raise your phone above your head as Undyne would raise her spear above hers. Oh, goodness, he hadn’t meant to startle you so. He stopped just short of your flailing arm, cleared his throat and proceeded to speak calmly to you.

            “Um… you aren’t planning on hitting me with that phone are you, human?”

            They seemed to respond to that in kind and quickly realize their mistake. Obviously, the Great Papyrus was here to assist. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were there! I thought something was gonna eat me!” Eat you?! How disdainful! He would never lay teeth on a human in any way that would seem to be threatening. Papyrus quickly lowered the human’s arm to keep them from harming him or themselves, hoping the gesture of kindness was enough to calm you down from your fear-filled frenzy. It was just the right move, as they seemed to relax at his touch.

            “Ah, no, no! I do not eat humans. In fact, I, the GREAT Papyrus, prefer to help them!”           

“Papyrus? Nice name. My name’s Riley.” Your name rang through the skeleton’s head and his chest pitter-pattered a bit excitedly. A compliment! How very nice of you! He watched as she fumbled with her phone, pressing a button on the side of it. Papyrus opened his mouth to speak as the light flashed from her phone, brightening up the immediate vicinity, which seemed to excite her. Ah, yes, you had not been able to meet properly in the dark, had you? Negotiations would continue as soon as there was enough light for you to see and thusly discuss your newfound friendship. Riley’s eyes rose to meet his as he patiently waited for her to finish so you both could properly shake hands and declare friendship. What happened next, Papyrus did not expect. A whimper launched from her throat as she dropped her phone in fright. Her face flushed white, as if she had seen something frightful. She lurched forward just after her phone shattered to bits on the ground and it seemed her body would follow suit. No, no, this would not do! This is not how friendships worked! Papyrus quickly scooped her up with one gloved hand, saving her from her immediate fall as he pressed her head against his chest plate firmly. The warmth emanating from him seemed to calm her, though she seemed not to respond to his taps.

“Human? Are you well? You look a bit pale. Oh, no, have I broken you?! I must get you fixed up right away!”

Though he rarely did this, Papyrus felt it was important to get her to a safe place immediately. He was unaware of what ailment had overcome her, and he was certain that she would not be able to overcome the rest of the puzzles here in her condition. He scooped Riley quickly into his arms and raced down the hall, his eye aglow with magical energy. A spark shot from his head to his toe and a pop could be heard resounding through the ruins. He appeared seconds later in front of his home, shifting her weight to one arm as he opened the front door with the other.

There was Sans, lying lazily on their jingling green couch with both hands behind his head, his eyes closed in slumber. Papyrus opened his mouth to criticize his lazy brother, yet snapped his mouth shut quickly in disgust. There was no time to chide Sans for his lackadaisical activities, he needed to get the human warm! He quickly disappeared into the linen closet beside the kitchen and withdrew a bright blue blanket, wrapping her carefully into its comforting woolen warmth and placing her on the couch beside his snoozing bother. Sans opened one lazy eye and regarded Papyrus with a nod.

“hey, pap. i see you finally brought a girl home.”

Sans’ comment struck Papyrus dumbfounded as his cheekbones turned a bright orange hue and he began to sputter indignantly. He rushed off to the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water from the sink and placed the glass on the coffee table in front of you.

“good thing you got her a blanket. looks like she’s knocked out cold.”

“Sans, now is not the time for your terrible puns!”

“aww, come on, pap. you know i hate getting the cold shoulder.”

“Ughh,” was the only response Sans received from his now disgruntled brother. Sans leaned back into the couch once more, folding his hands behind his head and allowing one lazy eye to watch as her shoulders rose and fell in steady breaths. He shrugged his shoulders, figuring he shouldn’t bother with her, considering she wasn’t going to be around for much longer anyway. He just hoped Paps knew what he was doing by bringing a person to their home. They’ve had humans before and some of them were… well, they didn’t take very kindly to monsters. Those humans were the ones that ended up having quite a bad time. Ah, he’d worry about it later. For now, he lifted himself out of the couch cushion and fumbled with the door handle. Time to make a break for it before…

“Where are you headed off to,” called Papyrus from the kitchen. His apron was nestled tightly against his chest piece and the words “cool cook” stuck out like a sore thumb. The cool bit had been a last minute adjustment to the clothing by Papyrus, who had scribbled the word in with a blue marker. And Pap thought he was bad at jokes, thought Sans silently.

“i’m headed to Grillby’s for a burg. let you two enjoy your food. unless you’re willing to sit through more of my hilarious jokes. i’ve got a skele-ton ready for when the human wakes up.”

Papyrus let a groan of disgust escape from his throat in response to the terrible pun.

“Fine. Enjoy your grease-bathed dinner. The human and I shall enjoy a wonderful meal of spaghetti cooked within nothing but the finest of marinara sauces. Honestly, I’ve no idea how you can handle the food served there.”

            “guess you could say I have the stomach for a good burger.”

            Before Papyrus had the opportunity to throw another tirade of groans and complaints towards him, Sans had already stepped outside and shut the front door behind him. He stood on the steps of his tiny home, eyeing the place before turning and stuffing his bony hands into the pockets of his hoodie. He wandered off, a smile painted on his skeletal face as he slowly approached a saloon-like eatery with the word “Grillby’s” attached to the top of its entrance.

            “works every time,” he muttered to himself as he walked calmly into the familiar establishment, letting the warmth of the bar spread over his chilled bones. Several voices rang out and welcomed him back with cheerful noise as he took his usual spot at the bar. The ex-royal guard sat in their familiar places around a table centered in the middle of the floor. They were a mish-mash of different kinds of dogs of different sizes and they all seemed as eager as young pups to win the game they were playing. A round of drinks sat unattended next to the table as they hurriedly went round after round of games before finally throwing down all their cards and wildly reaching for the drinks. Sans just gave a hearty chortle as he turned to order his food.

            As much as he loved his brother, there was just nothing that could compare to this.

~~~

            A few clutters sounded from the kitchen and Papyrus finally managed to return to his living room with a large plate of piping hot spaghetti awaiting his newfound friend. He stopped short of her unconscious figure though, noticing a book tucked closely to her chest as she breathed heavily. She gripped it almost as if her very life depended on it and, as he finally noticed, a bright purple hue had encapsulated the book on his approach. He placed the spaghetti onto a side table next to a book of quantum mechanics and reached one gloved hand for the book, to which he yelped and pulled it back in pain. The purple glow had felt like fire on his phalanges, burning through his gloves and singeing his bones. Papyrus murmured to himself something about a persevering human being a refreshing change before noticing the purple slowly receded from the book. He inched his hand closer, wary of any sudden flares that could happen before pulling the book carefully from your tight grip and disappearing into the dining room, leaving you to rest. In the meantime, he flipped open the book and began to peer through.


	4. Wait A Minute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Papyrus and Riley first meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I was hoping to make every chapter a weekly update. Seems this one broke that rule, unfortunately, by being two days late. I will immediately start working on the next chapter and (hopefully) have it out in seven day's time! A page a day will keep this idea alive!
> 
> That being said, this chapter might be a little slow for some people, considering it took me a while to write an end for this. I couldn't really find a good place to continue midway and then couldn't find a good place to stop. As always, good or bad criticism is appreciated and comments are welcome! It helps me learn what to fix/ what to keep. And of course, you can join me on Tumblr at any time: https://silverpuppy9.tumblr.com/.

For the second time that day, your eyes fluttered open, expecting to see yourself safe at home and hoping that this nightmare situation was over. It more surprised you that, rather than being in your own bed, you were in someone else’s house. You rubbed your eyes, hearing the jingling of coins beneath the soft cushion you were lying on. Eyeing your surroundings, you noted a large television sitting right in front of you playing a rather jovial toned song. The screen was in several mind-numbing colors, with words that read, “We will be back with our regularly scheduled program shortly.” You had to blink several times before your eyes finally got used to the colors enough to read the station’s message. You rubbed your eyes as the scent of food finally hit your nostrils, your mouth watering as the smell of tomatoes, oregano, and pasta wafted through the air. Your stomach growled hungrily. Though you knew this was all too new to you, considering you still had no idea where you were, you were too hungry to even consider questioning the spaghetti sitting on a side table next to your head. You lunged for the still-warm plate, steadying it on your lap before digging in. You instantly regretted your decision as you made a face that could only be equated to that of a chipmunk choking on a chestnut. As delicious as it smelled, this deadly spaghetti tasted anything but. There was something inside of it that grated against your throat, scratching and scraping against you as you began to cough and sputter the food back up. On further inspection of the dish, you realized it was covered in a sparkly red glitter. Who in the world puts glitter in spaghetti, you wondered.

            You didn’t have to wait for that answer long as your cough drew the attention of a pair of boots racing towards you. Oh no. The skeleton. The undead thing that had found you in that dark, empty place you fainted in. You instinctively curled yourself up against the arm of the green couch before gripping the plate of your “food” like a Frisbee. If this thing had come to kill you, you sure as hell weren’t going down without a fight. Your hands trembled as you listened to the boots come closer with every passing second. Your breath came quick and your feet grew numb beneath your weight. You saw a head peer out from a doorway right across the room. Adrenaline surged through your veins as you threw the plate with all your might, sending the dish flying across the living room, aimed straight at the head of the stranger who had made an appearance. A shattering of porcelain sounded and a smile grew on your face as you began to calm down. That is, until you saw what the plate had actually hit.

            A long, white bone stood erect in front of the skeleton. The white ivory was now coated in spaghetti sauce and pasta noodles. The plate was in shards on the ground, a mess of white, red and bright yellow pooled just above the broken pieces. You foe remained unharmed as he called away the bone with some unknown force and approached you slowly, menacingly. Now unarmed, you began to panic again. You scrambled to retreat away from your captor unsuccessfully, as he gripped you by your arms with surprisingly strong, bony hands. He grasped you firmly and you closed your eyes tight, expecting at any moment for your life to be over. Seconds passed and nothing happened. In fact, the thing’s grip seemed to relax and a sudden lump caught in your throat uncomfortably. You opened one eye curiously, wondering what was taking it so long to kill you. Peering at him, you noticed a look of concern painted on its face as its teeth moved up and down in a pattern that suggested it was trying to say something. You strained to try and hear it over the sound of your own racing heart. “Good,” “not,” “hurt,” “humans.” You relaxed a bit under his grip as you mulled this information over. He sounded male, just from the pitch in his voice, and it sounded like he wasn’t here to hurt you. Had he brought you here? Who was he? You slid your other eye open to better see the, well, monster that as you understood had helped you. What was his name again? It was a little vague, considering you had met him for only a second before him scaring you half to death. Sure enough, though, this was the very same skeleton you had met earlier, complete with long, red, cape-like scarf and white plate suit adorning his chest.

            Your opened eyes seemed to relieve him, as he quickly gave you a very happy grin. His smile must have been contagious, as you couldn’t help but smile in response to his glee. The lump in your throat was gone and a feeling of ease washed over you. It was at that point your stomach growled again and the skeleton gave you a surprised look.

            “Human, you must be starving! But your spaghetti seems to be err… a bit compromised at the moment.” His eyes wandered to the mess on the floor, which he stared at with disdain. “Never fear, for I, the GREAT Papyrus, shall make you another plate! You stay right here, I shall be right back with the best noodles for you to consume.”

            You didn’t have much of a chance to speak before the skeleton was up and back into the room he had just left, your mouth agape in sudden confusion. So he was the one who had made you the food. That meant… oh, gosh, you had to stop him before he used more of that glitter. The scratching at your throat still stuck in your mind, causing a very abrupt gag to escape. You jolted up from your seat and rushed after the skeleton, finding him centered within a small, homely kitchen covered in marinara sauce, noodles, and various splattered ingredients. Once again, you were caught flabbergasted as you stared at what was the equivalent of a food battlefield. The nice monster was pounding ingredients with his gloved hands, a cry of “nyeh” escaping him with every thrown punch. You finally got the courage to throw up your hands and push yourself between the skeleton and his poor vegetative victims.

            “Nyeh?!”

            He stopped mid-punch and rose from his fighting stance, his gloves covered in tomato pulp. “Human, what do you think you’re doing?”

            “Look, err…”

            “Papyrus?”

                “Yes, Papyrus. Listen, I don’t know who taught you how to cook, but up on the surface, we don’t abuse our food like that. Here, let me… let me teach you how we do it up there. Sound good?”

            Papyrus raised a finger to interject, but honestly considered your suggestion. He gripped the bottom of his bony jaw before nodding his head in understanding. “Fair enough. Teach me how to do it your way. I’m more than eager to learn how human cooking is done.”

            You exhaled in relief and examined the damage done to the tomatoes he had. Luckily, it didn’t seem like there was enough time to do anything too drastic to the food. There was still enough for a decent sauce. You saw a grocery bag on the other side of his countertop and began to search through it. Mushrooms, onions, cheese, oregano, garlic, basil, and… red glitter. You pulled the glitter from the bag, staring at it incredulously. “MTT-brand (mostly) edible red glitter, now with extra sparkle” was printed on the front of the large bottle. The picture right beside the lettering was in the form of a box-shaped robot with a microphone. You peered inside, only to see the bottle was three quarters full. You capped the bottle quickly and tossed it back in the bag, pulling out the other ingredients. Searching around the kitchen you found a dicing knife and got to work on slicing the rest of the tomatoes. Papyrus was a very silent voyeur, taking the occasional note in a notepad he pulled from somewhere out of your peripheral. You diced the tomatoes, washed and sliced the mushrooms, peeled and simmered the onions, minced the garlic, and set the prepped sauce to simmer on the stovetop burner. The spaghetti noodles Papyrus had tried to toss into a pot, box and all, were nestled snugly into a bubbling, boiling pot of water, salt and olive oil. You leaned against Papyrus’s kitchen counter and thrummed your fingers against the marble. Papyrus eyed the stovetop worriedly and spoke up once more.

            “Should we not raise the temperature? I was told that the stove should reflect the burning passion within and be set ablaze.”

            “Wha-no! No, no! That’s not how food reflects passion at all. Food reflects passion through the flavor of the dish. If patience and perseverance and care are taken, the dish comes out tasty. If you rush it by making the stove too hot, or if you disrespect the ingredients with forced action, the food is… underwhelming. Cooking takes time, love, and attentiveness.”

            Papyrus nodded, watching the pot steam steadily. You smiled at the familiar smell that emanated from the saucepan and the sound of boiling water coming from the pot. It smelled like home… without the calls from your parents asking you how college was coming or the cat weaving between your legs and threatening to trip you up or the knocks at your door from your friend Jenna wanting to come over and steal some of your food because she didn’t know how to cook and ending up spending the night with you popping popcorn and watching scary movies as you both sat with pillows against your chests so you could bury your heads into them when a really scary part came up. Jenna… Prynne… mom and dad… you felt your eyes grow wet with tears. When would you see them again? You had passed out twice down here and… well; there really wasn’t a sun to tell what time of day it was. You really weren’t sure how long it’s been since you fell down here. Did Jenna finally end up breaking into your house, only to find Prynne starving? Were they looking for you? A tear fell down your right cheek and a bony hand gripped your shoulder lightly. You quickly wiped your eyes and turned to head into the living room to grab your sketchbook. Wait… you didn’t have your sketchbook when you woke up. A slight panic rose and you looked to Papyrus quickly.

            “Hey, Papyrus? You didn’t happen to see a sketchbook with me when you found me… did you?”

            Papyrus nodded and pointed to a kitchen table just across the room. “I borrowed it last night, and might I say, some of the things I saw in there were stellar. You really know how to draw, human. But… may I ask… what were those things at the back of the book?”

            Oh. He saw those, huh? You bite your lip and wring your hands together nervously. Nobody knew about those and… he just helped himself. You headed towards your book and pulled it open to reveal a page with a very specific sketch. You stared at it for a minute before flipping the book closed and shaking your head.

            “It’s not important. Just… just a picture,” you say, heading to check the pasta.


	5. Patience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which people meet and things are discussed. Also, new monster intro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally made another chapter a week early! This chapter is set up a bit weird, considering I really don't explain much of what's going on until the very end. It's also shorter than my other chapters, much apologies. But still, I hope you guys enjoy it just the same! Again, comments and criticisms are appreciated and be sure to find me on Tumblr!

“Queen Toriel! Queen Toriel!”

“Yes, Doctor? What is it?”

“On my cameras. And my monitors. In the ruins. There’s another human!”

“Ah, good! Tell me, what are they like? Did you manage to study and retrieve data on their behavior?”

“No, you don’t understand! She’s the soul we need! The very last one!”

“How do you know?”

“She came up on my radar as purple. And when she was solving the puzzles, she exuded the very same traits, even as she was scared out of her wits by Papyrus.”

“So she is with Papyrus?”

“I…I’m actually not sure… I saw him grab her and then blink. I haven’t seen her or noticed her soul waves since. Who knows where she is now.”

Silence.

“Qu…queen T-toriel? What should we do?”

More silence.

“I c-could check the monitors again, s-see if she’s shown up anywhere…”

“Did you see what she was like?”

“M-my queen?”

“Did you see how she reacted to Papyrus?”

“Oh. She was scared at first. But it seemed like she calmed down after he spoke to her. And then she fainted once she saw him with her cellphone’s light.”

“I see.”

“She doesn’t seem… intentionally… mean. And if Papyrus stays with her, then maybe…”

“Do you still have Sans’ number in your phone?”

“O-oh, of course!”

“Give him a call for me, would you? I have a favor to ask of him.”

“what do you need?”

“Ah, you surprised me, Sans!”

“didn’t mean to rattle your bones. whatcha need, tori?”

“Would you find the human for me? When you do, would you please bring her to me so we can have an official meet-and-greet.”

“W-what should I do, my queen?”

“Alphys, I’d like you to keep a close eye on our newfound friend. We need more information on her.”

“Y-yes, my queen.”

“I’d also like you to get in touch with Undyne, Sans. I understand she’s assisting you with some business? We might need her muscle again, just in case things turn out… unpleasant.”

“you got it.”

A pop is heard.

“You may go, Alphys.”

“Yes, my queen.”

Footsteps recede down a hallway.

Heavier, padded footsteps approach.

“My queen.” A strange voice resounds. “Are you sure this is the wisest path? The humans from before… they didn’t comprehend the outright kindness we provided them. Perhaps we should take her as prisoner instead?”

“No. All creatures deserve to be shown a little kindness and hospitality. There was more than one human here that showed us the same. If we are cautious, things will not escalate. If we are patient, things will conclude peacefully.”

“Very well, my queen. I see that you are set on meeting this human. I will provide extra security from my own personal robotics.”

“Thank you, Kyndall. The extra guard is much appreciated.”

Footsteps recede down a hallway as Toriel, queen of all Monsterkind, sits astride her large, golden throne with one furry hand pressed to her temple. Another human, purple, with no cruel intent. Yet, here she was, scrambling to find her and track her every move for fear of what this powerful soul could do. She wanted to give this one a chance. After all, perseverance was one of the more patient and calm of the human soul traits. She couldn’t shake the memory that lingered in her mind of the last human, though. Judgement. It had truly tested her faith in humanity. She ended up letting that one go. A deep sigh loosed from her nose and she sat upright in her seat. Fold your paws, cross your legs, calm yourself. It will all be fine. All she needs is a little time… and a little patience.

Down the hall, Kyndall strolled with paws crossed behind his back as he muttered to himself. His weasel nose twitched as a grim smile spread over his saber-toothed cat teeth. Another specimen had traversed its way down here, more than likely to escape something terrible from above. How sad, and yet how fortunate for him. He’d been dying to try out this new machine that extracted the very essence out of a human’s soul. By his calculations, by extracting all of the energy from the souls residing within Toriel’s little hiding spot, he’d be able to make a weapon powerful enough to eradicate the entirety of the surface-dwellers. Of course, it was just in theory. It would definitely be strong enough to blow right through the confounded barrier that trapped everyone down in this miserable hole. All he needed was that very last soul…

Not yet, though. As Toriel’s left-hand man, he had to make sure his queen was none the wiser of his intentions. If she knew, his chances of getting near those other souls were all but lost. He would let her do what she likes. Befriend the human. Try to make peace with it. When the time was right, he’d have her right where he needed her, and her soul as well as the others would be his. He’d be the hero of all Monsters. He, Kyndall, the cute little weasel monster that loved to tinker with his robots and his machines. He, who kept up with repairs to the Core, he, who’d provided safety and protection to the Queen as she was fighting the human that betrayed her in cold blood and slaughtered their beloved leader, he’d be the icon of the new world. All it took was a little time. All he had to do was be patient.


End file.
